The April Words Do Matter, 500 words/day thread-all genres welcome

liz, I am the same way in my writing. Both in how fast I write, and how fast I develop the story, actually. I average a lot of writing every day, but there are always gaps in my production.

As for the story development itself, that's what editing is for!

Added about 500 words, so I'm at 79,000. Reading back through them, I'm pretty happy with them. If my kids cooperate today, I'll be able to go through my handwritten notes and add the rest of what I wrote this week to the MS. It's more likely that will wait until they're all in bed tonight.

Made notes on a bunch of short chapters today. Not too many changes required, actually, apart from a new opening to one chapter.

Actual changes will happen tomorrow, unless I am too burned out from doing taxes.

1,491 words yesterday.

Way to go people... looks like progress all round!

Used taxes and liquor as an excuse, and totally blew off revisions tonight.

I did write some possibly-for-the-sequel stuff. It seems not too bad, but I expect I will be more critical in the morning.

No cake for you, lizmonster!

I revised some scenes in hard copy but didn't get too far because I was simply exhausted for no good reason.

Namatu said:

No cake for you, lizmonster!

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She had cake before the booze, silly.

Looks like everyone's making great progress! 540 words for me yesterday, after a couple of weeks of intentional nothing.

I may not continue to post daily word-counts, though. I dunno if it's just me, but I've found that when I do it, I tend to obsess over the quantity more than the quality. And, when I have a low-count day, it feels like failure, regardless of what I might've written or plotted. Too many of those days in a row feels bad, which doesn't help, and so it spirals. I think I'm better off not worrying too much over daily counts, and focusing on writing the best I can, however much that is?

Introversion said:

She had cake before the booze, silly.

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No MORE cake, lizmonster!

I may not continue to post daily word-counts, though. I dunno if it's just me, but I've found that when I do it, I tend to obsess over the quantity more than the quality. And, when I have a low-count day, it feels like failure, regardless of what I might've written or plotted. Too many of those days in a row feels bad, which doesn't help, and so it spirals. I think I'm better off not worrying too much over daily counts, and focusing on writing the best I can, however much that is?

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I'm not good with daily word counts. Take your violin song and turn it into a rollicking, er, rollick, Introversion! (Today I am not such a good writer. Witness: rollicking rollick.)

Namatu said:

Take your violin song and turn it into a rollicking, er, rollick, Introversion! (Today I am not such a good writer. Witness: rollicking rollick.)

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No MORE booze, Nancy!

Well, I'm glad it's not just me stinking at the word per diem. I think goals are good, but I seem to work better with coarser goals, like "write something every day."

Okay, so does Virginia wine count as booze, Intro, Namatu? All I know is that this evening, I enjoyed a glass of Virginia rosé (which was delightful, I might note for the record) and then added 202 words, total, to the WIP as I worked on making the junior detective on the homicide case a bit more of a twit, just to make things interesting. (And yes, I did enjoy doing that. Does that make me a bad person?)

Cheers, everyone!

vagough said:

Okay, so does Virginia wine count as booze, Intro, Namatu? All I know is that this evening, I enjoyed a glass of Virginia rosé (which was delightful, I might note for the record) and then added 202 words, total, to the WIP as I worked on making the junior detective on the homicide case a bit more of a twit, just to make things interesting. (And yes, I did enjoy doing that. Does that make me a bad person?)

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Twits can make the story more fun.

I rewrote the opening to a chapter that I've never been all that happy with. It's possible I whacked off too much, but I'm going to try not to add a lot back in, because I think it's much tighter this way. -320 tonight.

:cheers all progress:

Introversion & Namatu, I totally get that. For me, though, it keeps me moving. But we're all different.

ETA: Duh, forgot to post my wordcount. 797 words.

vagough said:

Okay, so does Virginia wine count as booze, Intro, Namatu?

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Ask not for whom the buzz buzzes, it buzzes for you.

Saoirse said:

Introversion & Namatu, I totally get that. For me, though, it keeps me moving. But we're all different.

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And I totally get that as well. It's all about finding what works and doing that, about a million times in a row.

Hi guys. I've been busy editing for the last few months and I haven't been tracking my wc's. Now that the novel is off with betas, it's time for the next WIP! I logged 700 words yesterday. It was less than my goal but okay. I guess it will take me a bit to bring my drafting speed back up.

No new words. Now working on copy edits for the second book and promoting the first book. Not sure when I'm going to write the third. I'm truly hoping it's not the month before it's due.

Total of -492 words today, in morning and evening sessions, trimming and tightening after great feedback from my fabulous crit partners.

BUT, who allowed wintry mix back to northern Virginia? Aargh! (It was sleeting here earlier this evening.) I thought it was spring?!

Patrick.S said:

Hi guys. I've been busy editing for the last few months and I haven't been tracking my wc's. Now that the novel is off with betas, it's time for the next WIP! I logged 700 words yesterday. It was less than my goal but okay. I guess it will take me a bit to bring my drafting speed back up.

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All words count!

BfloGal said:

No new words. Now working on copy edits for the second book and promoting the first book. Not sure when I'm going to write the third. I'm truly hoping it's not the month before it's due.

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Hey, that's only, what, about 3,000 words a day? No problem!

vagough said:

Total of -492 words today, in morning and evening sessions, trimming and tightening after great feedback from my fabulous crit partners.

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Nice trimming!

vagough said:

BUT, who allowed wintry mix back to northern Virginia? Aargh!

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LALALALAICAN'THEARYOU

Bashed through another two chapters tonight. Up 350 words. I'm now getting to the bits that my agent suggested I expand, so I'm thinking the word count isn't going to be dropping anymore. Sigh.

744 words this morning. I've decided to push on to the end.

Factual inaccuracies and gaping plot holes can be fixed in Draft 2.

vagough said:

Okay, so does Virginia wine count as booze, Intro, Namatu?

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It does count. I'm quite sure.

then added 202 words, total, to the WIP as I worked on making the junior detective on the homicide case a bit more of a twit, just to make things interesting. (And yes, I did enjoy doing that. Does that make me a bad person?)

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It makes you a good writer. Sometimes I have to remind myself that all characters do not need to be nice, nor do they all have to like my MC. In fact, given my MC, it's realistic that many people will not like her and will not ever be won over by her (not that she tries to win anyone over). That's as it should be.

No words for me last night. I did a little critiquing instead.

Namatu said:

It does count. I'm quite sure.

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And if she's not sure, she's probably not drinking enough of it.

Up to around 6,600 words now, so I think that's about 2-3k since my last update. Not bad, although I daren't look at my daily average.

Another day of trimming -- down -32 words after wrapping up second-round revisions through Chapter Ten. But the total WIP still comes out at 89,000, so when I add words, I also try to take some away. (But it's hard!)

Cheers, everyone!

Shara said:

744 words this morning. I've decided to push on to the end.

Factual inaccuracies and gaping plot holes can be fixed in Draft 2.

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I keep hoping they will disappear if I ignore them long enough.

onesecondglance said:

Up to around 6,600 words now, so I think that's about 2-3k since my last update. Not bad, although I daren't look at my daily average.

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That's a nice chunk of story! Averages are meaningless. You are cruising now.

vagough said:

Another day of trimming -- down -32 words after wrapping up second-round revisions through Chapter Ten. But the total WIP still comes out at 89,000, so when I add words, I also try to take some away. (But it's hard!)

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Well done! You have more discipline than I do.

Did a bunch of short chapters tonight, and added another 42 words.

I have 22 chapters of varying lengths left. If I can stick to my plan of 2 a night (on average), I'll finish this revision before the end of the month. And then I want to do one last polish before submitting it for evisceration another editing pass.